Volume 2 of The Cambridge History of Law in America focuses on the long nineteenth century (1789–1920). It deals with the formation and development of the American state system, the establishment and growth of systematic legal education, the spread of the legal profession, the growing density of legal institutions and their interaction with political and social action and the development of the modern criminal justice system. We also see how law intertwines with religion, how it becomes ingrained in popular culture and how it intersects with the worlds of the American military and of international relations. The Cambridge History of Law in America has been made possible by the generous support of the American Bar Foundation.
• Presented in the great tradition of collectively written Cambridge histories, The Cambridge History of Law in America brings together sixty scholars - all the leading historians of law in the United States - to chart our accumulated knowledge of law in America from the first European contacts at the end of the sixteenth century through the early twenty-first century • These three volumes put on display all the intellectual vitality and variety of the best that American legal history has to offer • These books present an original, comprehensive and authoritative account of the present understanding and range of interpretation of the history of American law
1. Law and the American state, from the Revolution to the Civil War: institutional growth and structural change Mark R. Wilson; 2. Legal education and legal thought, 1790–1920 Hugh C. MacGill and R. Kent Newmyer; 3. The legal profession: from the Revolution to the Civil War Alfred S. Konefsky; 4. The courts, 1790–1920 Kermit L. Hall; 5. Criminal justice in the United States, 1790–1920: a government of laws or men? Elizabeth Dale; 6. Citizenship and immigration law, 1800–1924: resolutions of membership and territory Kunal M. Parker; 7. Federal policy, Western movement and consequences for indigenous people, 1790–1920 David E. Wilkins; 8. Marriage and domestic relations Norma Basch; 9. Slavery, antislavery, and the coming of the Civil War Ariela Gross; 10. The civil war and reconstruction Laura F. Edwards; 11. Law, personhood and citizenship in the long nineteenth century: the borders of belonging Barbara Young Welke; 12. Law in popular culture, 1790–1920: the people and the law Nan Goodman; 13. Law and religion, 1790–1920 Sarah Barringer Gordon; 14. Legal innovation and market capitalism, 1790–1920 Tony A. Freyer; 15. Innovations in law and technology, 1790–1920 B. Zorina Khan; 16. The laws of industrial organization, 1870–1920 Karen Orren; 17. The military in American legal history Jonathan Lurie; 18. The United States and international affairs, 1789–1919 Eileen P. Scully; 19. Politics, state building, and the courts, 1870–1920 William E. Forbath.
'This volume not only provides an excellent showcase of some of the best current writing on American legal history, but also gives a good view of the dominant approach to the subject on the other side of the Atlantic.' Edinburgh Law Review
'Cambridge History of Law in America deserves nothing but praise. It is the single best starting point for knowledge of America's legal past. It exemplifies the field's intellectual vitality and showcases some of its brightest stars. Graduate students will find the chapter-by-chapter bibliographic essays alone worth the purchase price. Volume 2 captures the sate of the field today and suggests many possible future paths. The Journal of Law and History Review